Fantasy Football: Week 16 Running Back (RB) Rankings

With Championship Week about to get under way with the Steelers and Panthers game (discuss game) in a few hours, here's some news and notes about running backs and run defenses:

- Last week vs the Jets, Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall rushed for (a corrected) 99 yards, which means the Jets still have not allowed a 100-yard rusher this season.

- Although the Panthers didn't allow any rushing touchdowns last week, they allowed three each to Cleveland's Peyton Hillis, Seattle's Marshawn Lynch and Atlanta's Michael Turner in Weeks 12, 13 and 14, respectively.

- The Steelers have yet to allow a 100-yard rusher this season. In fact, they have allowed only three running backs (BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Fred Jackson and Cedric Benson) to rush for more than 50 yards this season.

- Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson has had 36-59 rushing yards in each of his past nine games. L.T. needs 114 rushing yards to reach the 1,000-yard milestone with games against the Bears, who have allowed second-fewest rushing yards this season, and Bills, who have allowed the most rushing yards.

- From Weeks 10 to 15, the Bears have allowed only one touchdown to a running back (New England's Danny Woodhead). Tomlinson hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6, when he scored two of them against the Broncos.

- A trio of AFC East running backs have 800-something rushing yards with two games to go: LaDainian Tomlinson (886), BenJarvus Green-Ellis (824) and Fred Jackson (811). Vote on our 1,000-yard rushing polls for them in our Jets Forum, Patriots Forum and Bills Forum.